Paris · Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of Friday’s Opening Ceremony for the 2024 Olympics, said Saturday he does not understand the uproar over one of the event’s tableaus.
Early on in the nearly four hour event, cameras focused in on a not-so-subtle parody of the Leonardo da Vinci painting The Last Supper. Set atop a barge floating down the river Seine, it featured 18 avant guard performers — several of which were in drag — arranged behind a long table. At the center sat a woman wearing a silver headdress resembling a halo, her hands forming a heart in front of her chest. After a few moments to solidify the image, several of the performers break into a choreographed dance routine.
“We imagined the ceremony to show our values and our principals. We promised a magnificent ceremony, spectacular, but also strong messages,” Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet told reporters Saturday. “The idea was really to trigger a reflection. We wanted to have a message as strong as possible.”
International criticism of the portrayal came swiftly. In Utah, some wondered on social media if they would see the same at the opening ceremony for the 2034 Olympics, which were awarded to the state earlier this week.
“Are these the concessions we’re going to have to make here in Utah?” one person posted Friday on the social medial platform X, formerly known as Twitter, while tagging Gov. Spencer Cox. “So far, I’ve seen a mockery of the last supper with transgender theatrics, the dancing and parading of radical gender ideology.”
Cox was in Paris to help Utah’s bid committee for the 2034 Winter Games make their final pitch Wednesday to the International Olympic Committee. After Salt Lake City won the bid, the group planned to go on several observation tours as well as take in some of the competitions and events, including Opening Ceremony.
An estimated 300,000 people viewed the unique, river-centric ceremony from along bridges and riverbanks. After the boats passed or before they arrived, however, spectators were left to watch the revelry on giant TV screens.
Noting the length of the program, Cox said he initially did not see the scene. After watching it on a video replay, though, he called it “a blatant mockery of a sacred event that my faith cherishes.”
“I can’t wait,” he wrote, “for the opening ceremonies in 2034 (like 2002) to showcase Utah values and our commitment to building family and community.”
Jolly has been largely lauded for the artistic vision he displayed during the ceremony. When asked about the furor during a press conference Saturday, he said he did not understand why there was a fuss.
“We have the right to love who we want. We have the right not to be worshippers. We have a lot of rights in France and this is what I wanted to convey,” Jolley said. “These are values that are important to us. So, quite frankly, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
